6. Casualties by Mode of Transport (Table 3)

6. Casualties by Mode of Transport (Table 3)

6.1 Figures on numbers of casualties by mode should be compared with data on mode use since changes could be due to more or fewer people travelling by a particular mode. Information on mode use is published in the road traffic or personal travel sections of Scottish Transport Statistics (STS).  Department for Transport (DfT) traffic estimates, showed that both car and motorcycle/moped traffic volumes increased by 2% between 2010 and 2014.  Over the same period cycling volumes increased by 14%.  Latest Scottish data by mode covers 2014, data for 2015 will be published in August 2016 in Transport and Travel in Scotland 2015.

6.2 In 2015 there were 6,701 car users reported injured in road accidents; three fifths of all casualties (61%: 6,701 out of 10,950) and a 1% fall on 2014. Of these, 72 were killed and 641 seriously injured (decreases of 23% and 6% on 2014 respectively). Non built-up roads accounted for half of all car user casualties (50%: 3,381 out of 6,701) but a much higher percentage of car user fatalities (86%: 62 out of 72) and those seriously injured (71%: 452 out of 641). Again likely due in part to higher average speeds on these types of roads.

 6.3 There were 1,688 pedestrian casualties recorded in 2015, a sixth of all casualties (15%: 1,688 out of 10,950) and down by 66 (4%) since 2014. Two per cent of pedestrian casualties were killed (41 out of 1,688) and 25% seriously injured (421 out of 1,688). 96% of pedestrian casualties occurred on built-up roads (1,617 out of 1,688). 44% of pedestrian casualties on non built-up roads were killed or seriously injured (31 out of 71) compared with 27% on built-up roads (431 out of 1,617).

6.4 Together, all other modes of transport accounted for a quarter (23%) of casualties in 2015 (2,561 out of 10,950), for a slightly higher proportion of those killed (30%: 49 out of 162) and a third of those seriously injured (34%: 535 out of 1,597).

6.5 Both Motorcycle and cycle casualty numbers decreased by 11% compared to 2014.  In 2015, 734 motorcycle casualties were reported, of whom 255 (35% and a decrease of 22% on 2014) suffered serious injuries, 27 died, a decrease of three on 2014. There were 794 pedal cyclist casualties recorded in 2015, 164 (21% and an increase of 3% on 2014) were seriously injured and 5 died (three less than in 2014).There are now more cyclists on the roads which will likely impact on cycling casualty numbers.  There was an increase of 46% in pedal cycle traffic in the last ten years, as shown by the DfT traffic estimates published in Scottish Transport Statistics

6.6 A total of 332 bus and coach users were reported injured (an increase of 14% on 2014), of whom 49 (21 more than 2014) were seriously injured, one died.